David Paterson 273 pages hardcover
A Frontier Link with the World is the history of one small company which
operated a track sixteen miles long and served essentially one
community. This company shared significant characteristics with its much
larger neighbors, and therefore serves as a microcosm depicting the
interrelationships between the corporate activities of a Georgia
railroad and the economic and social history of the community it
served.A Frontier Link with the World balances discussions of government
and corporate influences on railroad development with the activity and
interest, collective and individual, of investors and customers in the
local community. Paterson describes misconceptions about the railroad's
purpose and potential which fostered a love-hate relationship between
local people and the railroad. From an analysis of the local economy,
David Paterson explores how much the railroad benefited the community,
and who benefited most. Beyond scheduled freight and passenger services,
the author details other railroad services which broadened the social
and cultural horizons of the community.The book makes extensive use of
manuscript sources, including the recently - available Central of
Georgia Railway Collection at the Georgia Historical Society in
Savannah. Significant depth is added by: (1) data on population and
wealth for the local community compiled from local tax records for the
period of the company's existence, illustrating how the railroad was
funded, its profitability, and its effect on the growth of the
community, and (2) sufficient biographical data on most of the
railroad's employees showing who they were, where they were recruited,
and how local amateur operators evolved into a career railroad workforce.